Kerala High Court Grants Dulquer Salmaan Provisional Vehicle Release Request

The Kerala High Court has permitted actor Dulquer Salmaan to submit an application for the provisional release of his vehicle, which was seized by the Customs Preventive Department. The court instructed that this application should be considered within a week of filing. The order came from Justice Ziyad Rahman A A as Salmaan sought the release of his Land Rover Defender, seized during a wide-ranging operation targeting luxury cars smuggled into India from Bhutan.

Dulquer Salmaan claimed the vehicle was imported by the International Committee of the Red Cross and owned with valid documents. However, customs authorities allegedly ignored these documents before conducting the seizure. The actor is challenging the seizure's legitimacy, citing the bona fide purchase from Aarpee Promotors Pvt Ltd who acquired it from Habeeb Mohammed, in whose name it was registered.

Customs officials have recently conducted extensive raids across Kerala, targeting 30 locations including prominent actors' residences as part of 'Operation Numkhor.' The operation revealed illegal importation of 36 luxury cars from Bhutan, with allegedly forged documents. Furthermore, these vehicles were reportedly linked to gold and drug smuggling schemes, alongside other illegal activities such as tax evasion and potential links to terrorist funding.

(With inputs from agencies.)